


Coming Up Short

by Guggi



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Canon - Movie, Eventual Romance, Exiled Booker | Sebastien le Livre, M/M, Redeemed Booker | Sebastien le Livre, eventual booker/copley, gun violence warning, haven't read the comics yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:07:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26580379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guggi/pseuds/Guggi
Summary: Quynh finds Booker alone in his apartment. What does she want from him?Meanwhile, Nile is hard at work trying to convince Andy to let Booker's exile be terminated.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko, Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Nile Freeman, Booker | Sebastien le Livre & Quynh | Noriko, Booker | Sebastien le Livre/James Copley, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short prologue to set the 'before' mood.

_ Prologue _

Laughter erupted suddenly in the living room. 

Nicky looked over his shoulder to the source. Nile and Booker sat closely together on the couch, huddled over a phone. She was pointing at the screen and he was wiping his eyes, both of them still in a fit of hysterics. 

Nicky gave a half smile and turned back around to watch over the pan on the stove in front of him. He gently poked the fish and decided now was the time to flip them over. 

_ This is home _ , he thought. It wasn’t some people’s idea of a perfect home or family. But it was his. Or rather, it had become his. 

In between Nile and Booker’s loud cheer he overheard bits of information coming from the dining table and its two current occupants: The love of his life and his soul’s constant companion for close to a millennia. His heart, body and mind’s desire. The reason his last action every night before sleep is to smile. 

And Andy. 

“... new mission …” 

“... government secret …”

“... several deaths already …”

Lost in thought - and a little eavesdropping - Nicky barely heard the timer going off on the fridge. Dinner was nearly ready. 

Nile stood up and gestured for Booker to follow her. They collected plates, glasses and cutlery from the cupboards. Joe and Andy leaned back from resting their elbows on the table to make room for them. 

Nicky put the pots and pans in front of them. “La cena è pronta!” 

Joe reached for Nicky’s hand and gave it a quick kiss. “Mangiamo!”

_ Yes _ , Nicky thought while they were all sitting around the table later, enjoying his food.  _ This is my idea of a perfect home _ .


	2. Chapter 1

_ Six months later _

Nile was alone in their current residence. She had a whole day planned: a long, hot shower applying every skin and hair care product she owned since there was no one waiting in line to use the shower next. Draw in her sketchbook, secretly comparing her progress to Joe’s. Do a few of the puzzle pieces in their latest thousand piece puzzle. 

All in all a relaxing solo day. 

She stepped out of the shower, relaxed after her at-home-spa. The aroma of her lotion always calmed her down to a zen like state. 

She was just about to call out ‘Almost done!’ before she remembered.  _ Oh, right _ . Taking her time, she got dressed and sauntered to the kitchen to eat. 

Nile opened the fridge and raised her eyebrows when she spotted a sandwich with all her favorite fillings, lying in plain view. It had a note in front. ‘For Nile’s spa day’ in Nicky’s handwriting. She smiled and shook her head.  _ Always so considerate _ . 

Later, Nile sat at the table, sketchbook in front of her. Wiping a drop of sweat from her brow and flinging her braids over her shoulder, she was just about to call for Joe and ask him to help her with those dang angles.  _ Oh, right _ . 

Nile walked towards the puzzle. They were about a quarter way finished. This one had a lot of green and was more difficult than their previous ones. They had spent numerous nights fitting the pieces together and dividing them into sections of matching colors. Especially her and Nicky. Maybe he wanted to help her now? …  _ Oh, right. Again.  _

After doing everything she could think of and more, she ended her day laying on the couch and looking at youtube videos. She found a funny one she actually hadn’t seen before. 

“Hey, Booker, come and s--”  _ Oh _ . That one hurt more than the rest. 

Booker. 

How long has it been since she last saw him? Months, definitely. She had pleaded with Andy, Nicky and Joe. 

Begged. 

Especially Andy. She was the one who held onto the punishment of exile the strongest. Nicky could be convinced and Joe was coming around to Nile’s idea of terminating it. But Andy was opposed. And what she says goes. Though Nile knew Nicky and Joe missed him badly as well. 

But none more so than Nile herself. Two - in this particular context - kids in a family of ancient beings, they had stuck together since Nile found them. 

He was the only one who remembered his long dead family’s faces and quirks apart from her. 

A century will pass before they get to meet again and who knows how things have changed then? 

The front door opened and her eyes moved away from the phone’s screen. Before she had a second thought about it, she was on her feet and ran towards who she knew was Joe, Nicky and Andy. 

Joe smiled when he saw her appear around the corner. “Hi, Nile! Did you have a nice d--” He was cut short when Nile threw herself at the three and hugged them tight. 

She looked up at them tearfully. “I’ve missed you.” 

* * *

“Booker. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Booker raised his gun in front of him and held a hand carefully on the trigger. He stared at the woman in front of him, standing in  _ his _ kitchen in  _ his _ apartment drinking water from  _ his _ glass.

“What? What are you doing here? Who are you?”

She gave him no answer, just took another sip and smiled at him. He walked around the kitchen table but made sure to keep the gun pointed at the intruder. 

The woman set the empty glass on the counter and turned to look out a window. She placed her hands on the counter too and was now standing with her back to Booker. 

“Get out!” 

No reaction. 

“I’ll call the police.”

Nothing. 

Booker had given her a fair couple of warnings now. He pointed at her left leg and pulled the trigger. 

**BANG!**

She groaned and doubled over in pain. He waited for her to start screaming bloody murder or attack him back. Just to do something. 

But she didn’t. She still stood with her back to him, bleeding from her leg wound. A few seconds passed and the woman straightened her leg back and the all too familiar sound of a bullet leaving bone, skin and tissue before falling to the floor was heard. 

Booker shook his head. No. No, no, no. No way. How did she know his name? 

At last, the woman turned around and faced him again. “You were pretty afraid when you saw me in here, Book. Afraid of what? That I might hurt you? Kill you?” 

He had no answer ready for her. 

“You weren’t that afraid of dying six months ago”, she continued. He couldn't pinpoint her tone of voice. Malice? Pity? 

Seeing that his gun could cause her no harm, he lowered it and placed it on the kitchen table. 

She looked at him and maintained confident eye contact. 

She stretched her hand out at him and he shook it. “Booker? I’m Quynh.”


End file.
